


Do You Remember Summer 09?

by SolariaLunar21



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Flashback, Fluff, M/M, Summer Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 14:20:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15865347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolariaLunar21/pseuds/SolariaLunar21
Summary: Eight years ago Niall and Louis met when they got put into a band together...right? At least that's what they want everyone to think.





	Do You Remember Summer 09?

**Author's Note:**

> First off thank you to the wonderful mod's that put this Fest together! I'm super happy that I was able to be apart of it, especially since it gave me a chance to finally write this story, one I've had brewing in my brain the past five years. This story was 100% inspired by Summer Love and Rock Me but with a mix of secrecy thrown into the mix. I sincerely hope that you all enjoy this fic, it's pretty much my baby at this point even though it's not as long and epic as I originally planned for it five years ago.

There are days that are harder than others for Niall to keep the secret. Days where he still can’t believe that it’s been almost eight years, and no one has ever found out. Sometimes he feels like he might suffocate under the weight of never talking about it, and other days where he’s glad that only Louis knows about the summer they spent together when they were fifteen and seventeen years old. People don’t know about the whispered promises they couldn’t keep, the I love you’s, or the afternoon they lost their virginity to one another.

The funny thing is that sometimes Niall feels like that summer never happened, Louis only brought it up the once just after the band was formed when they agreed to keep it quiet and they never spoke of it again. He tricks himself into believing that he dreamt it all up sometimes but then the heartbreak comes back, and he knows he’s kidding himself.

For five years he tries to move on and he can’t, because Louis is always around, which makes it practically impossible for Niall to fall out of love with him, even with Eleanor around for so long. And if he tries to pretend the night Louis crawled into his bed when Zayn left never happened because if he doesn’t he’ll fall apart then that’s just something kept between himself and his heart.

Then the band is done, and Niall decides its time to finally, finally move on and the best way to get through it is to make music, so he does. He writes a breakup album, writes about Louis and the band and how he wishes he could just move on. And it helps, slowly but surely Niall feels like he’s getting over Louis. So of course, that’s when it all falls apart around him.

It happens when Liam calls him in early April just after Niall’s finished the first leg of the tour. He says he wants to see him, wants to know if he’s free for dinner that night so Niall invites him around to his house for some steak.

“There’s something I wanted to ask you,” Liam starts innocently enough.

“Okay, you know you can ask me anything,” Niall replies, later he realizes that that’s his first mistake.

“Did you have sex with Louis?”

Niall freezes.

“Why would you ask that?”

“We’ve been trying to hang out more, after you know not talking for way too long and we got shit faced at his place and he said something about losing his virginity to a guy then said he wasn’t supposed to tell me that and passed out.”

“Why do you automatically think it has anything to do with me?”

  
“Because then I found this,” Liam says and pulls a picture out of his pocket that Niall hasn’t seen since he printed it out and shyly gave it to Louis the day the older boy left to go home that summer.

It’s a selfie taken on Niall’s old digital camera, Niall’s got a look of surprise on his face because right before he took the photo Louis leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. The picture is creased and worn like Louis’ handled it a lot over the years, there’s stains that look like ketchup in the bottom right corner and Niall’s face looks warped from what looks like water stains.

“Where did you find that?” he finally gets the guts to ask.

“Fell out of his wallet, when was this taken?” 

“Does it matter?”

“From your reaction it seems like it does,” Liam says gently.

“No one was ever supposed to know,” Niall whispers feeling the tears start to prick at his eyes as he looks at a picture that he thought didn’t exist anymore, “that’s what we agreed on when they put us in the band together.”

“Niall what weren’t we supposed to know?”

“It’s from 2009 Liam, that picture it’s from 2009,” he says as memories he’s tried to forget float to the surface, so he starts to talk and tell the story of his first and only love for the first time, “we met in the summer I remember the first time I saw him…”

**(2009)**

Niall was laying on the damp grass listening to the sounds of his music float through his ear buds as he tried to get over his boredom. He’d been in the little town for a week visiting his aunt and cousins already and so far, he hadn’t found anything interesting to do while he waited for his cousins to get out of school for the day. It was cool to be in the United States with his Mom while she visited her sister but it sure was boring when his cousins wouldn’t be out of school for another week. Sighing he sat up when movement occurred in the corner of his eye and he saw a boy around his age kicking around a football by himself.

What caught his interest though was that the boy was wearing a Doncaster Rovers jersey. The Rovers were such a small team that the other boy had to be from the UK, there’s no way that a native of the United States would know who they were unless they at least had visited or had family there. Or if they were just that obsessed with football. Niall was just wondering how he’d get the other boys attention when the football the other boy was playing with came soaring towards him and almost hit him in the face.

Scooping it up Niall trotted over the to other boy and had to pause for a moment because oh---he was very cute. He had light brown hair that was in a weird growing out stage but his blue eyes sucked Niall in right away.

“Watch where you’re aiming,” Niall finally said when he was in hearing distance.

“Think my aim was right on target Irish,” the other boy replied in a thick Yorkshire accent that may or may not have done something to Niall’s insides from the way his stomach flipped.

“Very original, I’m Niall.”

“Louis, so where you from?”

“Mullingar it’s a really little town, you from Donny then?” he asked gesturing to the other boy’s shirt.

“Yup born and raised and proud of it! What’s an Irish fellow like you doing all the way in the States?”

“Visiting family, you?”

  
“Same, well sort of, me dad’s brother got me a job working in a restaurant in town for a couple of months, so I’m staying with him.”

“Long way from Donny just for a job,” Niall replied hoping that he wasn’t stepping on any toes.

“I think they wanted me to get outta Donny for a bit, found out I bombed my A Levels so I’m gonna have to repeat the year. Not exactly how I wanted to spend my summer but well…maybe it won’t be so bad now that I’m not the only one so far from home.” Louis replied looking at Niall from under his eye lashes with those big blue eyes of his.

“Maybe it won’t,” Niall whispered a smile on his lips as they both chuckle.

That’s how it started.

Louis worked until 1:30 Monday-Friday so Niall usually went to the restaurant to meet up with him before they walked to the field they quickly dubbed theirs as they talked about anything and everything. Niall learned that Louis was the oldest of five and the only boy while Niall shared he’s the youngest of two and wished Greg seemed to like him half as much as Louis loved his little sisters. They talked about the fact that Louis’ dad wasn’t his biological father but had raised him since he was small. Niall shared what it was like growing up with divorced parents and the difficult decision he’d made to live with his father full time and only visit with his mom during holidays.

It was the fourth day of their new friendship that things changed. They had abandoned the ever-present football to chase each other around the field when Louis tackled him laughing and before Niall knew it there were lips covering his own in a shy kiss that set his heart racing.

“Was that okay?” Louis asked pulling away slightly.

“Yeah, do it again?” Niall replied, and Louis laughed loud and bright before connecting their lips back together.

After that they’re afternoons together were spent making out in the grass and their nights were spent cuddling under the stars. Niall’s world was soon filled with nothing but Louis and he fell so hard and fast that he was sure that he was going crazy. They spent time whispering back and forth secrets they’d never told anybody, and Niall couldn’t help but wish that time would stop, and he could keep Louis with him forever.

“I feel like I’m never going to amount to anything good in life, all me teachers say I’m nothing but a screw up and I know me mum loves me but sometimes I feel like all I do is let her down,” Louis confessed two weeks into their relationship.

“You aren’t a screw up, just watch you’re going to go out into the world and smash it, maybe become a big footie star! I can say I knew you when,” Niall replied brushing a hand over Louis’ cheek as he brought their lips together softly.

“What about you? Rarely see you without this old thing, you can go out and become the next Robbie Williams or something,” Louis said patting the guitar that was sitting across Niall’s lap.

“I’ve been thinking about maybe trying out for X-Factor next year, I’ll be old enough, but I don’t know think I’d be more like an Irish Justin Bieber over Robbie Williams as great as he is.”

“Bieber? Good god Niall have I taught you nothing!” Louis exclaimed making Niall giggle.

“What I like his stuff, who wouldn’t want to be a pop star? I’d love to be able to make that kind of money and give back to me mum and da,” Niall replied.

“Would be nice to buy a house for me mum and dad and help more with the girls…I think another reason they sent me away is because they’ve been fighting a lot more. I’m worried that they just didn’t want to deal with me this summer on top of the girls too.”

“Well whatever the reason I’m glad they did, I really like you Lou,” Niall whispered.

“Me too Niall, I wish this summer would never end,” Louis said before leaning in and kissing Niall again. Niall melted into the kiss only separating their lips to move the guitar from his lap as Louis replaced it and straddled his waist and the two thrust their hips together in a rhythm that had them both coming in their jeans embarrassingly fast.

That was the first time they got off together but not the last, they started taking advantage of the empty apartment that Louis was living in with his Uncle more often and Niall quickly learned that he had a horrible gag reflex. Louis didn’t seem to mind though because he still got off whenever Niall gave him a blow job and always reciprocated. Eventually blow jobs and hand jobs led to more and Niall lost his virginity to Louis two weeks before the end of the summer. It hurt and was a little awkward and uncomfortable at first, but Louis took his time and soon Niall ended up enjoying it a lot more than he thought he would at the beginning.

“I did okay then?” Louis asked him afterwards as they hid under the covers like they were the only two people in the world.

“It was perfect Louis, well okay maybe not like _perfect_ but I’m really glad it was you.”  
“Me too,” Louis whispered nuzzling his nose with Niall’s, “I know I’ve only known you like six weeks and this is kind of crazy but I’m pretty sure I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Niall felt like he stopped breathing when Louis admitted that, and it might be crazy, but Niall could say without a doubt that he felt the same way.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve fallen in love with you too Louis,” Niall replied feeling giddy and lightheaded.

Two weeks later Niall tearfully said goodbye to Louis as his heart broke in two and he handed him a picture they’d taken a week before on Niall’s camera. They shared a tear-filled kiss goodbye and didn’t make any more promises they couldn’t keep. They’d both decided that what they had was just for the summer early on, no matter how much it hurt to say goodbye. So, Niall went home from Louis’ apartment with a broken heart but knew that even though it was just for the summer he’d remember it forever.

**(Present Day)**

“…next time I saw him was at Bootcamp when we got put into the group. Once they did we both agreed we would never tell anybody. Didn’t want to fuck things up,” Niall finishes shrugging his shoulders as Liam just stares at him in almost a state of shock.

“Shit Niall that’s…”

“I know.”

“So, what now?”

“What do you mean what now?”

“I don’t know, try again?” Liam asks and Niall sighs running a hand over his face. He wishes it was that simple, but Louis had made it perfectly clear by not sticking around after they slept together three years ago that whatever they once had was in the past.

“He doesn’t want that, made it pretty clear when he fucked me then left sometime in the middle of the night and refused to ever talk to me about it three years ago,” He starts before continuing, “and even if that hadn’t ever happened I just I can’t, do you know how long it’s taken me to even remotely start to get over him? I feel like for the first time in my life I can finally fucking move on, let it go and all that clichéd shit. I can’t keep living my life with a broken heart Liam, no one should have to do that.”

Liam’s quiet then and Niall sighs for what feels like the millionth time in the last hour and gets up from the couch to pick up the dirty dishes he and Liam have left sitting out this whole time. He methodically cleans each of the plates even though he has a perfectly good dishwasher as it finally washes over him that someone else finally fucking _knows_. It’s not a secret anymore, and maybe that’s what he needs to move on. Deep down he knows he’ll probably always love Louis but now he can finally see himself falling in love with someone else again. There’s not anyone that he’s thinking of, but the potential is there and that makes him happy.

“I don’t think he’s over you,” Liam says from behind him making Niall jump and almost drop the fork he’s been washing.

“Shit Liam warn a guy first,” He replies ignoring what Liam’s just said.

“Look I want you both to be happy and if Louis really isn’t in love with you anymore like you think then fine, but do you think he’d still have a picture of you two in his wallet if he was?” Liam asks.

“Liam just please let it go, I don’t know why he still has that stupid picture. Let the past be the past okay?”

“Fine, just let me say one more thing and then I’ll never bring this up again.”  
“Go ahead.”

“I have no clue what Louis’ side of the story is here I only know yours, but did you ever think that maybe he thinks that you’re over him? Obviously, I don’t know what happened three years ago that led to the two of you sleeping together or why he left but maybe he thought you’d regret it. So, I don’t know…just think about it okay?”

Liam leaves a few minutes later but not before giving Niall a hug and a brain filled with mixed thoughts and emotions. What Liam said is true, he doesn’t know what Louis is feeling, there’s no way that he could know because they’ve never talked about it. Niall’s always just assumed that Louis moved on, he had Eleanor and after that Danielle. Niall also knows that Louis’ been single since shortly after Jay passed away, that the other man has been spending his time on his music and being a dad to Freddie. If Louis wanted something to happen with them wouldn’t he have tried already? Niall practically wrote a whole album about Louis, there’s no way the other man couldn’t put those pieces together. Finally, he comes to the decision that Louis doesn’t see him that way anymore and they will always just be friends, so Niall resolves once again that it’s time to move on. 

Except Louis sort of fucks that plan up three days later but considering what happens Niall’s not too upset about it.

He’s in the middle of responding to an e-mail from his manager about doing a couple of promo interviews when he’s in the States when the doorbell goes. Furrowing his brow, he pulls up the security camera feed on his phone to see who it could be because he’s not expecting anybody. He’s surprised when he realizes that the hooded figure on his doorstep is Louis, so he saves his email as a draft and goes to answer the door. When he does he’s surprised to see that Louis looks exhausted in a way that’s all too familiar after so many years.

“Hey what brings you round?” He asks letting Louis in.

“I uh, I talked to Liam yesterday,” Louis answers licking his lips in a way that lets Niall know that the other man is nervous about something.

“Oh, about what?” Niall asks trying to act nonchalant even though his heart is hammering inside of his chest.

“Said you guys talked a few days ago…that you told him about us.”

“Um yeah I did,” he affirms rubbing the back of his neck wishing they weren’t having this conversation in the middle of his front hallway.

“He also said that he thought I was fucking bastard for sleeping with you three years ago and then leaving in the middle of the night which well that’s true too. Then he said if I still had feelings for you that maybe I should stop being an idiot and tell you so um…that’s why I’m here,” Louis says fiddling with the string of his hoodie not looking Niall in the eyes as he talks, leaving Niall feeling breathless and wondering what exactly is going on here.

“I don’t understand, what’re you trying to say?” He questions, Louis finally meets his gaze and Niall feels weak in the knees because oh he remembers that look. It’s the same look Louis had before he said he’d fallen in love with Niall, the last time Niall saw that look was for a split second at Bootcamp before there lives were changed forever.

“That I’m still in love with you, that I don’t know if I ever really fell out of love with you completely, and that scares me. I’ve been running away from this feeling for so long, and I’m sick of running…I just want to stand still. I guess that I’m just wondering if maybe you’d like to stand still with me?” Louis asks sheepishly holding out a hand for Niall to take into his own.

“Louis are you serious?” he asks not quite believing that this is real. He’s pictured this hundreds, no thousands of times since he walked away from Louis nine years ago that it’s hard to think that this is actually happening.

“Fuck I know this is out of the fucking blue, but I’ve been trying to psych myself up since I heard the whole album months ago and I guess you could say Liam gave me that extra kick I needed. And if he was wrong and you don’t want this to be anything more than what we’ve been since we saw each other again at Bootcamp then that’s okay, I understand. But if he’s not wrong and you do want a relationship then well you know I want that too,” Louis states his hand still out for Niall to take into his own, so he does. He pulls Louis in and without saying anything closes the gap between them to kiss the lips he’s been dreaming of kissing again for so long.

The kiss is sweet and chaste, nothing like the harsh bruising kisses from three years ago or the exploratory ones from when they were dating. Niall’s heart still aches though just as it always has, and his palms start to shake from all his pent-up emotions. He ends the kiss after a few more moments and rests his forehead against Louis’ own.

“In case you couldn’t tell, that’s a yes,” Niall says smiling.

“I kind of figured but I’m happy to have that confirmation,” Louis replies pulling away slightly but wrapping his arms around Niall’ waist to pull Niall back in closer.

“As nice as this is though I think we’d both be more comfortable if we moved this into the living room don’t you think?” Niall asks chuckling slightly when Louis ducks his head to blush.

“What can I say, I thought we’d waited long enough.”

“Well waiting’s over,” Niall says pulling Louis with him into the living room to settle onto the couch together.

Niall knows that not everything is fixed between them, they have a lot of talking to do about the past eight years, especially about what happened three years before, but for right now he’s happy to snuggle into Louis’ embrace and stand still with him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did writing it!


End file.
